“…While the merits of history-free vs. history-based or parametric CAD systems have been debated for years, 2009 was the year vendors made huge strides in bridging the benefits of both modeling technologies in one product. Perhaps no 3-D CAD company did as much to advance the trend as Siemens PLM Software with the introduction of Synchronous Technology, its next-generation modeling approach…”

The CAD Society Awards acknowledge the contributions made by individuals that have affected and developed the CAD, engineering, manufacturing and architecture software industries. The Leadership award is presented for outstanding technical and business leadership in the CAD industry, and focus and dedication to the needs of CAD users.

Both Bill McClure and Dan Staples have been behind the CAD system known as Solid Edge since it started as an R&D project in 1993. Then owned by Intergraph, Solid Edge started life as ‘Project Jupiter’ and demonstrated some highly innovative ideas in 3D, well before 3D on a PC was mainstream. The software was sold to UGS in 1998, with both Bill and Dan staying on the Solid Edge team as both its strategic and development leaders.

«…Interoperability Costs and Challenges
The costs of product data interoperability issues is difficult to quantify, but is generally regarded as significant. In 1999, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published a study of the U.S. automotive industry, which claimed data-exchange costs were $1 billion per year, and that study involved only the automotive industry. Imagine what that is now! The study accounted for tangible costs such as rework or outsourced translation but didn’t include issues related to longer development times or inefficient reuse of files. In a 2007 CADCAMNet Interoperability Survey, 100% of OEMs indicated that they exchanged 3D CAD data with outsourced engineers but received CAD data in their preferred format only 34% of the time.

With some 66% of 3D CAD files being delivered in a format other than the preferred one, most manufacturing companies are faced with the daunting task of transferring files between dissimilar systems. Many issues affect CAD data exchange and present common challenges.»

If this study reflects in all or in portion your situation, consider Synchronous Technology has one of our tools to overcome those challenges. In those rough times you need to take all the A’s and the wild cards at your disposal.

So while we go thru rough times and companies struggle with making their business more profitable, the other mail was marketing a web series for a CAD software. While taking a quick look at it, I got myself to a point where I ask me this question….Customer centric or Product centric?

Customer centric

It seems that companies who claim to be customer centric, place the customer at the center of their taught. So much at the center, once they became customer they are place inside a paddock where walls of marketing are erect all around to prevent them to look on the other side. Along that they use what is call Branding to associate anything to their product, making customers at the center believe nothing else exist.

One of the latest CAD marketing strategies I saw was some kind of web base TV show to promote their product.

That’s what I a call placing customers at the center.

At some point it seems like the Roman Empire who build stadium to distract the population, to keep it occupied and entertain. This was a way to control the population. In today’s world, stadium has been replaced by TV (Web). A mind that is entertained will virtually stop thinking; this is a strategy that most TV operator has understood to keep us strap to our seat.

Product centric

It seems that companies who claim to be product centric place the product at the center of their thought. So much at the center, the evolution of the product is a priority and it could shake the foundation of what was establish or taken for granted. Since the product is place at the center, there is no reason to erect wall to contain customers, this is one of the main differentiator between customer centric and product centric.

Once the product is at the center they send marketing in order to help discover what this will bring to market and what benefits customers could gain from it.

At some point it seems like Library of Alexandria where knowledge was at the center.

A product centric company will help you keep in sigh your goals or destination.

In between, the neutral zone

A neutral zone exit in between, the use of that neutral zone depend on the philosophy/motivation behind it: Customer or Product centric?

Customer centric likes that zone because it helps them look better. In fact solution they offer may seem to be similar to what product centric companies have. But on a closer look we can spot some difference and some are major. This is where the web TV entertains you instead of informing you.

Conclusion

Next time our attention is divert toward a marketing campaign, think about I am being entertain or I am being inform? If you are being entertained ask you why.

While some other CAD company produce TV web base episode in order to distract and entertain you, Solid Edge ST2 is being prepare to be launch with new and enhance features to help you overcome the challenge of CAD interoperability.

Like this:

New discussion raise by Synchronous Technology make me use word/expression that readers may not be familiar with. So I think about building lexis, giving me the chance to define those new words/expressions.

Has an example all solid modeling imply history because they keep track of what you are doing, yes even ST. AutoCAD on the other had has no history. Well if you count undo/redo has a history maybe……

Also traditional modeling does not automatically mean that the design is parametric.

Since Synchronous Technology introduce new paradigm. New thinking come along and gives us the chance to review our way of doing thing.